The Road Less Traveled By
by Awkward Butterfly
Summary: Instead of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura being sent to protect Harrry Potter in the 4th year, they are sent by Lucius and Voldemort to capture Harry. This mission took place in the Goblet of Fire.
1. The Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

"Do you three accept your mission?", Tsunade said in front of the three newest ANBU.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. So us three are supposed to go to this _Hogwarts _place and somehow enable a way for this Hari kid to get to this place so your lord Vorudefort.

_"_Voldemort" said a tall man with silvery hair. He sighed as he stared at the three shinobi.

Naruto jumped at this while Tsunade rubbed her temples at Naruto's childlike behavior.

"_I promoted __this __kid to ANBU?", _Tsunade thought.

"Ahh! Who're you?!", Naruto yelled while drawing a kunai and getting into a fighting stance.

"_I __must __have been drunk", _Tsunade thought in response to her last mental comment.

The man merely smirked at Naruto. "This is Lucius Malfoy, our new client." Tsunade said while drinking a shot of sake.

"I trust that Tsunade has stated all the details of the mission that I have relayed to her.", Malfoy Sr. said in perfect Japanese.

"Your Japanese is very good, Malfoy-san.", Sakura said while dragging herself from beating Naruto. "Hn." Sasuke said having no emotion whatsoever.

Malfoy smirked again while saying, "It's only magic."

"Magic?" Sasuke said. Malfoy then went into the explanation of what magic was and how it was similar to chakra and who Harry Potter and Voldemort was.

Oh. Look at the time. I didn't get your names."

"I'm Haruno Sakura". The pink haired girl said politely

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto!", Naruto yelled as he jumped up from his previous spot on the floor which made everyone else sigh.

"Nice to meet you three. Well we have to get going.", Lucius said as he pulled out a rusted kunai.

"What's that?" asked Naruto

"This is a portkey. It's going to take you three to my home in which then we shall have to shop for supplies, and get you ready to where Harry and other witches and wizards will be taking a train to Hogwarts."

"Just hold on to it and in about...30 seconds you'll be at my house.", Malfoy said. " I trust you all know how to speak English?"

"Hai.", the three shinobi said.

"Perfect" he gave the kunai to Sakura and the all four of the disappeared

WHAM!  
Hermione felt as though she had been slammed into a wall with such force that it sent her flying backwards …

_Crack!_

Opening her eyes, Sakura found herself not in a garden, but in front of an imposing metal gate surrounded by an intricate fence which, upon closer inspection, revealed to be comprised of various serpent designs.

She examined the gate again.

It was a superb work of wrought silver and behind it, she could get a glimpse of a majestic aisle of oak trees, illuminated by a row of lanterns.

A coat of arms was carved on the metallic gate: a dagger in the form of the _fleur de lys_, flanked by serpents on both sides so as to form the letter 'M', with a crown above it.

Sakura stared at her teammates who had already pulled out kanatas.

"This guy is crazy" she mouthed to them.

The blond and the raven put their kanatas back and stared up.

The gate had no handle, only a silver knocker shaped like a serpent's head.

Sasuke reached out and knocked three times. The sound, which seemed oddly chilling to Sakura's ears, echoed all around her, obviously magically amplified. She waited, forcing herself not to shake in nervousness and apprehension.

The gate opened after a brief delay. The form of a house-elf, clad in a white pillowcase, emerged in the frame of the entrance and bowed to the three shinobi.

The elf straightened up, its huge eyes examining her from head to toe with a very inquisitive look. "Are you the three Master Malfoy has sent?"


	2. The Malfoy Mansion

Don't own Naruto or Harry Potter

* * *

Smiling, Naruto bent down to look at the creature. "Yes, that's us. And you are …?"

"I is Noddy, Master. Master is asking Noddy's name … Master is being kind to Noddy," it commented in wonder, bowing again, this time so low that its nose touched the ground.

Naruto looked at the other two. This family's house-elves were definitely strange …

"Master is awaiting you. Noddy is escorting Miss and the other two Masters to Master Lucius."

The creature stepped aside, finally letting the shinobi embark upon the Malfoy grounds. The gate snapped locked with a loud _click_ the second she had stepped past it.

The house-elf started walking and beckoned the ninja to follow.

The path edged around flowerbeds and fine gardens, and led to a completely white mansion of which Sasuke could see the outline, built on a hill, towering against the starry sky, surrounded by a mass of tall trees.

But instead of walking straight towards the residence as Sakura had expected, her guide soon turned into a narrow, uphill lane on their right, bordered by woods.

Between the trees, Naruto noticed that the alley they were in overhung another, wider one, shadowed by more woods.

A little farther, he discerned a set of stairs that led downwards into the lower alley.

Even Naruto knows when to keep quiet.

The house-elf led the three down the staircase promptly left with a _pop_. They turned around to find Lucius waiting for them.

They were in a small garden, shielded from view by thick curtains of foliage.

A few lanterns hung from nothing, as though held in mid-air by magic, and their flickering glow gave an air of mystery to this isolated garden filled with sweet, flowery scents.

Their gazes met for a moment, light blue, green, and black clashing against cold grey. Neither spoke for a moment.

Then Lucius broke the silence. "So – you decided to come. How very kind of you."

"Malfoy-san, if I'm not much mistaken doesn't the surname of Malfoy mean bad faith?" Sasuke's asked his eyes turning red.

"Yes, though I'm not sure how you know it."

Naruto decided to change the subject. "Just how large _is_ the Malfoy estate?"

Sakura smiled, such curiosity was probably inappropriate, but she couldn't think of anything to say. And he probably would enjoy talking about it …

"Well, the grounds surrounding the manor amount to 22 acres; that is, approximately one fourth of the surface of Wiltshire County," he answered.

"We have an area of woodland around the house, enclosing a river and two small lakes, one of which is directly behind the manor."

Lucius continued, obviously seizing the occasion to brag about his wealth. "Beyond the woods lies an expanse of semi-wilderness. Naturally, the whole surface is Unplottable and concealed from Muggles."

"Who are muggles?" asked Naruto

"Filth, people with no magical abilities-Ah, we have reached your rooms"

The three shinobi opened it and found it was a large airy room.

"This guy is creepy" Naruto whispered

"Hn, Dobe I still cannot see why you are ANBU"

"Shut up teme"

"Both of you SHUT UP" yelled Sakura from across the room.

"Hai! Sakura-chan" said Naruto

"Hn"


	3. Dreams and Omens

Don't own Naruto of Harry Potter

* * *

The bed was old and thoroughly worn with a huge dip in the middle of the mattress where the springs had been bent out of shape as if an object of immense weight had been dropped from a great height.

The other bed was old but in a different kind of old. The mattress was new and was covered with silk blankets.

Both figures thrashed about as if trying to evade an enemy in their sleep and kicked the blankets around a bit.

He let out a short scream of pain and in one final struggle against the enemy, the blanket, which was putting up a rather good fight by tangling itself around the young boy's arms, legs, and torso.

Rows of what looked like graves appeared out of nowhere as the black-haired boy lifted his head to the horizon. He started down one particular row of graves.

Now sprinting, the boy ran past the stone slabs trying not to see the names engraved in huge letters on either side of him. But one piece of stone made him stop in his tracks.

The once motionless tombstones sprang to life as they took the shape of what seemed like slithering objects, all aiming, reaching, lunging for the boy's legs.

His reflexes were fast - there was no denying that. Yet, as the boy sprinted to avoid the lunging snakes, he found himself falling fast towards the ground before him, tied down by a wave of writhing, liquid stone.

'_Master! Master! We have him! We have him!'_ The snakes etched onto the tombstone rattled in a frenzied excitement, glowing radiantly with energy.

"Very good," was the masked man's reply.

The snake figure rose and motioned with his head to where he kept a few people tied to wooden stakes, which the boy had not noticed earlier due to the endless rows of graves.

The boy just stood there as if petrified, secured too tightly to even move. The stone chains that were formally binding him were brushed aside by a wave of the man's hand.

"Their dead, and so will you……soon"

Arms shot out, reaching, grasping, flailing for fresh air as two boys awoke from the same dream.

A nightmare…

Putting that aside, the teenage boy slid out of bed, wincing at the pain in his left shoulder. He opened the window for fresh air as he looked outside. It was peaceful and he made sure not to wake his teammates.

In a spacious room on the second floor of the manor, a raven haired boy sat in a high-backed chair facing the window, a leather-bound book on his lap.

He closed his eyes slowly, trying to remember the face of the man who had tried to attack him.

It was a white face hardly like a man at all with those freaky-looking eyes. Eyes that were as thin as slits with such intent and longing to kill, the boy had been taken aback.

Another also teenage boy woke up and groped for his glasses. Putting the dream aside the boy sat up but not without a sudden lurching sound from the supporting wooden beams holding the bed together, and rubbed his scar.

He had taken to staring at the clock everyday, trying to pass by the endless time that seemed to be on his hands until the day when he would be called to join his friends once again at school…

School…

That was the one place where he felt like he belonged, the one place his relatives loathed most of all.

"So how long do you think this mission will last teme?" Naruto said sleepily.

"About a year"

"Oh, teme?"

"Hn?"

"I had this really freaky dream about you"

"Hn"

"You were running and was being pursued by snakes which tied you up"

Sasuke froze, that was the exact same dream that he had.

_Something was going to happen._

_Soon…_

* * *

Thank you soo much for the reviews Kisame Hoshigaki the Scourge and blekmedelninja . I hated fics where Dumbledore was the ones who sent them here. This happened in the Goblet of Fire and thanks for reviewing. You don't know how much that means! Do you guys want any characters added as staff, students, or Death Eaters?


	4. Quidditch World Cup

I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter.

* * *

Draco was not pleased.

He had to go to the Quidditch Cup with three freaks.

His father had told him that they were there to help Voldemort but Draco doubted that.

Now the glum Draco stayed away from the three as much as possible. The girl was annoying, the blond was weird and he hated the black haired one.

"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Weasley, and as high as you can go." The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple.

They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right.

The party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts.

Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position.

At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again.

Ron was laughing excitedly as he pointed downward towards a man picking his nose

Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet covered, tasseled  
program. "A display from the team mascots will precede the match," she read aloud.

The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge wearily to Harry. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat... Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places ... ah, and here's Lucius!"

"Ah, Fudge," said Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of  
Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco? And our guests"

"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the  
Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Naruto waved at Harry who waved back.

"Ladies and gentlemen. . . welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and  
twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket.

The hug blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IREL AND: 0.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome - the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov!" A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.

"Ivanova!" A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out. "Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand - Krum!" "That's him, that's him!" yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars.

"And now, please greet - the Irish National Quidditch Team!" yelled Bagman. "Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!"

Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word "Firebolt"

The game started and Naruto watched with interest. He was beginning to like this game as he watched them fly. But Krum caught the Snitch.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS -- good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

Naruto was laughing and cheering with the rest of the Irish supporters, while Sakura and Sasuke were looking glum. "They did a pretty good job didn't they?" Sakura said cheerfully.

"Hn"

The Malfoy household and Team 7 were walking down. Draco was silent as he and Sasuke engaged into a staring contest.

Draco pulled out his wand, and started to cast a spell when Sasuke's eyes turned red and then back to black. Draco stumbled backwards as Harry and Ron started to laugh.

Harry held out his hand and said "That was great, I'm Harry Potter. Who are you people?"

"Uchiha Sasuke"

'Uzumaki Naruto"

"Haruno Sakura"


	5. Introductions

I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.

"I'm Ron"

"Hermione Granger"

After the introductions they went their separate ways.

During the night Naruto heard people running. There were people dangling upside down and Draco smirked, he said "Death Eaters"

"Wh-?" asked Naruto

"Death Eaters are dad's friends and the wizards that are under You-Know-Who" Draco's voice was smug

"Why don't you just call him Voldemort?" asked Sakura

"I wouldn't say that if I were you"

"In our country there's a person as bad as Voldemort, but we still say his name. Fear of the name increases fear of itself"

"Uchiha isn't it?'

"Hn"

The next day they walked into Daigon Alley.

Naruto was busy admiring the weird gadgets that filled the room. Sounds like 'what's this?' 'Hey looket that!' and 'cool!' came from his mouth everything he poked at the random objects.

They bought their supplies and they each got a pet.

Naruto bought an yellow toad and the other two got owls. Sakura was about to get a pet slug and Sasuke a snake but on their supplies list those things were not allowed.

Then they walked to Ollivander's and was about to get their wands.

Naruto first choose a wand Hazel with Phoenix tail feather. The window exploded. The he tried a wand with oak and fox fur. The wand burst into light.

He decided to get that one

Sakura instantly got what she choose, cherry blossom wood with the tail of a unicorn.

Sasuke tried the first one, it had unicorn and pine. A wizard hat burned. Then he decided to try one with yew and a basilisk scale. It let out a dark light, similar to Naruto's.

Ollivander stared at the third wand "That was the same wood used for You Know Who's wand"

Then he bowed politely and they paid 28 galleons and left.

Harry was sitting squashed in the back seat of the company car that Mr. Weasley had borrowed from his work. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were all sitting next to him, with the twins in the front, and Mr. Weasley driving, as they drove to the train station, to catch the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾.

The rain pouring down made him feel depressed, something that the other three seemed to have noticed.

"Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously. "Is there something wrong?"

He didn't answer for a moment, but continued staring out the window. "I don't really know," he said at last, slowly.

"It's just that, for the first time ever, I feel that this won't be a great year; that something's going to be very different."

"Well, we do have 'foreign exchange' students this year," Ginny said brightly. "Though I don't think that there's anything wrong with that."

Harry shook his head. "No, they're really nice, and certainly… interesting…" he trailed off, thinking about what the two could do. "But anyways, I mean that there will be something very bad that's going to happen."

"Isn't there always?" Ron asked rhetorically.

Harry laughed, and the others looked relieved that he could do so. "Yeah, that's true."

They sat in silence the rest of the way to the train station, arriving at the Platform about twenty minutes early.

They found them in an otherwise empty compartment. Hermione sat next to Ginny, while Harry sat by Ron.

Then the door opened


	6. The Train

Don't own anything.

Two people walked out.

The two were wearing at robes and glaring in disgust at them. The pink haired or as Harry remembered Sakura was saying that their not dresses and is called robes.

Naruto was tripping in them.

When the three realized that there were people there, Sakura blushed and asked "May we sit down?"

"Why not?" asked Ron as he stared at her.

"Thanks"

The ride was uneventful for the first time.

"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," he said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what –"

". . . Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do. . . ."

"Shut up Malfoy, damn why do I have to sit here"

"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" she said angrily. "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him." "Durmstrang's another wizarding school?" said Naruto.

"Yes," said Hermione sniffily, "and it's got a horrible reputation, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts."

"I think I've heard of it," said Ron. "Where is it? What country?" "Well, nobody knows, do they?" said Hermione, raising her eyebrows.

"Huh?" said Naruto again. "There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools."

"But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms." "Ah, think of the possibilities," said Ron dreamily. "It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident... . Shame his mother likes him.. . ."

"That'd would be a pretty good idea, poor teme having to sit with them." Said Naruto yawning.

"So. . . going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know. . . you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won. . . ." Draco Malfoy walked in smirking.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Ron.'"Are you going to enter?' Malfoy repeated. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"What is it?" Sakura wondered out loud

"Father has told you about it, I'm sure"

"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy,"

A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face "Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly.

"God, my father told me about it ages ago. . . heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry. . . . Maybe your father'stoo junior to know about it, Weasley. . . yes. . . they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of hi-"

Before he finished, Sakura already punched him out.

During the Hogwarts express it was raining heavily.

"Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather," said Hermione fervently, shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke who was glaring at Naruto climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.


	7. Sorting Team 7

I don't own Naruto

* * *

Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Leaning against the window, Harry could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted  
windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain.

Ron shook his head and send water everywhere, "if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow. I'm soak" – "ARRGH!"A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Naruto's head and exploded.

Another orange one sailed over Harry's head splashing him. Soon everyone was wet and fuming.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face.

The four long House tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils. It was much warmer in here.

"We have some guests from a different school called Konaha visiting us this year, please welcome Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura!"

Professor McGonagall now placed a three-legged stool on the ground before the first years and, on top of it, an extremely old, dirty patched wizard's hat.

The first years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat broke into song:

A thousand years or more ago,  
When I was newly sewn,  
There lived four wizards of renown,  
Whose names are still well known:  
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.  
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,  
They hatched a daring plan  
To educate young sorcerers  
Thus Hogwarts School began.  
Now each of these four founders  
Formed their own house, for each  
Did value different virtues  
In the ones they had to teach.  
By Gryffindor, the bravest were  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
Would always be the best;  
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
Loved those of great ambition.  
While still alive they did divide  
Their favorites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone?  
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!  
Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura looked much older then the first years, so Dumbledore explained "Since the are new here, at their old school they are Fourth Years. We shall sort them first."

"Haruno Sakura"

The hat spoke "Very smart, top of the years huh? But even more so loyal. There's only one place for you: Hufflepuff!"

"Uchiha Sasuke"

"loyal. But Hufflepuff doesn't suit you. Ravenclaw? No Very brave.-"

"Slytherin?!"

"No, GRYFFINDOR!"

"Hn"

"Uzumaki Naruto, SLYTHERIN!"

"What?"

* * *

A/N: Naruto is very ambitious because he would do anything to bring Sasuke back/become Hokage. Sakura is loyal, and you can't deny that Sasuke is brave. Ha! You didn't expect that did you?

Mwahahahaha!

soccercrazyfreak, hieiluvssweetsnow, death-on-arrival : Thanks for your review. It's people who review that keep the author interested in their stories.

blekmedelninjan: I'm not sure yet, if I will kill Harry, maybe just deliver him to Voldemort like the mission asked.


	8. House Elfs

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the three-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L's.

"Oh hurry up," Naruto moaned, massaging his stomach.

"Now, Naruto, the Sorting's much more important than food," said Draco smiling as "Madley, Laura!" became a Hufflepuff.

"I do hope this year's batch of Slytherins are up to scratch," said the Bloody Baron, glaring at Naruto applauding as "McDonald, Natalie!" joined the table.

"We want to break their winning streak, do we?"

"Yep-tebbayo"

Gryffindor had won the Inter-House Championship for the last three years in a  
row.

And finally, with "Whitby, Kevin!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away.

"About time," said Ron, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his  
golden plate.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the  
students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing  
around the Hall. "Tuck in."

"Hear, hear!" said Harry, Ron, Naruto and Draco loudly as the empty dishes filled magically before their eyes.

Nearly Headless Nick watched mournfully as Harry, Ron, Sasuke and Hermione loaded their own plates.

"Aaah, 'at's be'er," said Ron, with his mouth full of mashed potato.

"You're lucky there's a feast at all tonight, you know," said Nearly Headless Nick.  
"There was trouble in the kitchens earlier."

"Why? Wha' 'appened?" said Harry, through a sizable chunk of steak. "Peeves, of course," said Nearly Headless Nick, shaking his head, which wobbled dangerously. He pulled his ruff a little higher up on his neck. "The usual argument, you know. He wanted to attend the feast - well, it's quite out of the question, you know what he's like, utterly uncivilized, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. We held a ghost's council - the Fat Friar was all for giving him the chance - but most wisely, in my opinion, the Bloody Baron put his foot down."

The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost, a gaunt and silent specter covered in  
silver bloodstains.

He was the only person at Hogwarts who could really control Peeves.  
"Yeah, we thought Peeves seemed hacked off about something," said Harry darkly.  
"So what did he do in the kitchens?"

"Oh the usual," said Nearly Headless Nick, shrugging. "Wreaked havoc and  
mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place swimming in soup. Terrified the house-elves  
out of their wits--"

Clang.

Hermione had knocked over her golden goblet. Pumpkin juice spread steadily over the tablecloth, staining several feet of white linen orange, but Hermione paid no  
attention.

"There are house-elves here?" she said, staring, horror-struck, at Nearly Headless  
Nick. "Here at Hogwarts?"

"Certainly," said Nearly Headless Nick, looking surprised at her reaction. "The  
largest number in any dwelling in Britain, I believe. Over a hundred."

"I've never seen one!" said Hermione.

"They come out at night to do a bit of cleaning.. . see to the fires and so on.. . . I  
mean, you're not supposed to see them, are you? That's the mark of a good house-elf,  
isn't it, that you don't know it's there?"

"But they get paid?" Naruto asked. "They get holidays, don't they? And - and sick  
leave, and pensions, and everything?"

Draco stopped "Naruto you idiot, of course not"

"Slave Labor" muttered a blond at the Slytherin table, and a brown haired girl in Gryffindor.

"Slave labor," said Hermione, breathing hard through her nose.

"That's whatmade this dinner. Slave labor."

And she refused to eat another bit.

* * *

Death-On-Arrival: Thank you for the review. I always wanted Naruto to go to Slytherin

Kisame Hoshigaki (may I use this, or do you want me to use you full username?" Thank you for reviewing!

idkwtusb: I'm trying my best, one chapter a day. Is that good for you?


	9. The Triwizard Tornament

I no own Naruto

* * *

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and  
watered," ("Hmph!" said Hermione) "I must once more ask for your attention, while I  
give out a few notices.

"As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year."

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will  
not take place this year."

"What?" Harry gasped.

He looked around at Fred and George, his fellow members of the Quidditch team. They were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to speak. Dumbledore went on,

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

"What?" asked a boy near the Hufflepuff table.

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the  
Great Hall banged open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black  
traveling cloak. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. Hermione gasped.

It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel.

Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and  
a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was  
rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye.

"Moody?" Harry muttered to Ron. "Mad-Eye Moody? The one your dad went  
to help this morning?"

"Must be," said Ron in a low, awed voice."What happened to him?"

Draco whispered. "What happened to his face?"

"Dunno," Naruto whispered back, watching Moody with fascination.

Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug  
of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long drink from it.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom  
were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a  
very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a  
century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be  
taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Naruto loudly.

"Naruto? You KNEW?" asked Sakura from across the hall.

"No, Mr. Uzumaki, I'm not"

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as  
a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts,  
Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and  
the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host  
the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent  
way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities -  
until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Death Toll??" whispered Draco paling a bit.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament,"  
Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. We will have teams of 2 and/or 3An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money. There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money. You must be at least 17 to enter. Now off to bed, Chop Chop."

* * *


	10. First Night at Hogwarts

Disclaimer: No Naruto!

I apologize, but I'll be departing to China on a vacation and will not be back until the 29th. That means my updates will be slower, and I will TRY my hardest. Gomen

* * *

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody.

There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall.

"They can't do that!" said George Weasley, who had not joined the crowd moving  
toward the door, but was standing up and glaring at Dumbledore. "We're seventeen in  
April, why can't we have a shot?"

"They're not stopping me entering," said Fred stubbornly, also scowling at the top  
table. "The champion's get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally.  
And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

"Yeah," said Ron, a faraway look on his face. "Yeah, a thousand Galleons. . ."  
"Come on," said Harry, "we'll be the only ones left here if you don't move."  
Harry, Ron, Sasuke, Hermione, Fred, and George set off for the entrance hall

"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" said  
Sasuke.

"Dunno," said Fred, "but it's them we'll have to fool. I reckon a couple of drops  
of Aging Potion might do it, George.. ."

"Dumbledore knows you're not of age, though," said Harry.

"Yeah, but he's not the one who decides who the champion is, is he?" said Fred  
shrewdly. "Sounds to me like once this judge knows who wants to enter, he'll choose the  
best from each school and never mind how old they are. Dumbledore's trying to stop us  
giving our names."

"People have died, though!" said Patsy in a worried voice as they walked through a door concealed behind a tapestry and started up another, narrower staircase.

"Yeah," said Draco airily, "but that was years ago, wasn't it? Anyway, where's the  
fun without a bit of risk? Hey, Naruto, what if we find out how to get 'round Dumbledore? Fancy entering?"

"What d'you reckon?" Harry asked Sasuke. "Be cool to enter, wouldn't it? But I  
s'pose they might want someone older... Dunno if we've learned enough.. .  
"I definitely haven't," came Neville's gloomy voice from behind Fred and George.  
"I expect my gran'd want me to try, though. She's always going on about how I  
should be upholding the family honor. I'll just have to -- oops. . ."

Neville's foot had sunk right through a step halfway up the staircase.

There were many of these trick stairs at Hogwarts; it was second nature to most of the older students to jump this particular step, but Neville's memory was notoriously poor. Harry and Ron seized him under the armpits and pulled him out, while a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and clanked, laughing.

"Shut Up"

"Fine"

"Balderdash," said an older Slytherin walking up, "a prefect downstairs told me."

The portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall through which they all  
climbed. A crackling fire warmed the circular common room, which was full of squashy armchairs and tables.

Naruto cast the merrily dancing flames a dark look, and Draco distinctly heard her mutter "Slave labor" before bidding them good night and disappearing through the doorway to the boys' dormitory.

"I might go in for it, you know," Draco said sleepily through the darkness, "if Fred  
and George find out how to. . . the tournament. . . you never know, do you?"

"S'pose not. .. ." muttered Goyle

Naruto rolled over in bed, a series of dazzling new pictures forming in his mind's  
eye. . . .

He had hoodwinked the impartial judge into believing he was seventeen. . .

He had become Hogwarts champion. . . he was standing on the grounds, his arms raised in triumph in front of the whole school….

All of whom were applauding and screaming. . . he had just won the Triwizard Tournament. Sakura's face stood out particularly clearly in the blurred crowd, her face glowing with admiration...

And even Sasuke was giving him a high five.

"Good job dobe"

"Thanks Teme"

Harry grinned into his pillow, exceptionally glad that Ron couldn't see what he  
could.

thank you Lighting Fox, Kisame Hoshigaki, and idkwtusb and soccercrazyfreak for reading and giving such nice reviews.

blekmedelninjan: I'm sorry, but I don't have much time to write long chapters. I might forget and that'd become troublesome if I delete it by mistake.

Jayjay94 and Darth Sai: To tell you the truth, I hate the fact that every story makes Naruto into Gryffindor because he's brave. But Naruto's ambitious, so much that in Shippuden he walks up to every person he fought to ask how to "retrieve" Sasuke. JKR the author of HArry Potter said that "the element of Gryffindor was fire and Slytherin was WIND. I am just mearely stating that fact. Gryffindor people usually have nerve and daring. Most of the time they take risks and do not think about what happen to others. Frankly, Darth Sai, I hate Gryffindors apart from Fred, George, Neville and Harry and much prefer Ravenclaw. You cannot call somebody a fangirl (how I dETEST that word) just because they put a CHARACTER into a House that you do not prefer.


	11. First Day

Disclaimer : No Naruto, No Harry,

* * *

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the  
Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead

Harry, Ron, Sasuke and Hermione examined their new course schedules at breakfast.

A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament.

Naruto, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were laughing about their schedule. All their classes are being shared with the Gryffindors.

"Today's not bad.. . outside all morning," said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it, we're still with the Slytherins. . . ."

There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring  
through the open windows carrying the morning mail.

Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed.

A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap -

Neville almost always forgot to pack something.

On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge.

Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn't even got his letter?

Meawhile Team 7 each received the same letter:

_The mission starts now_

_ L. M_

The bell sounded.

Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang.

There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Be'er wait fer  
the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this - Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

"Come again?" said Ron.

Hagrid pointed down into the crates. There were dragon-like creatures.

They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads.

There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes.

They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks  
would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward  
several inches.

"On'y jus' hatched," said Hagrid proudly, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves!  
Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

"And why would we want to raise them?" said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words.

Hagrid looked stumped at the question.

"I mean, what do they do?" asked Malfoy. "What is the point of them?"

"Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things - I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer - I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake - just try 'em out with a bit of each."

"Ouch!" Naruto yelled as he was trying to pet one.

"Dobe" said Sasuke shaking his head.

"Well, at least the skrewts are small," said Ron as they made their way back up to  
the castle for lunch an hour later.

"Yeah" agreed Harry

After a lunch of mashed potatos and gravy, everybody departed to different classes.

* * *

idkwtsb-san: thank you for wishing me well. Right now I'm at "The Computer Cafe" and I only have five more minutes so it's going to be a little messed up.

Kisame-san: Thank you for your wonderful reviews!


	12. Enter: The Two Other Schools

Disclaimer: No I don't own ANYTHING.

* * *

A month passed quickly and it was Halloween. The tension was in the air as Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto finally met together, the first time all month.

"What do you think the school's are like?" Sakura asked lowering her voice.

"I really don't know, guess we'll find out"

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day.

Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter.

When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Naruto" Draco said "Are you excited?"

"Yeah"

"Sakura?" a voice said quietly, it was Hannah "Are you ready?"

"Yeah"

"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss  
Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her  
plait.

"Uchiha, do you possess a comb? Or perhaps hair gel?"

"Hn"

"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "First years in front. . . no  
pushing.. ."

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.

"Nearly six," said Draco, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led  
to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train? Man, I'm starving" he asked Naruto who grinned.

"I don't think their coming by the train, Sakura." Cedric said as he watched her staring at the train station "Most schools like to impress"

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so. . . not from that far away.. ." Ron said

"No way, are they coming by broomsticks, maybe portkeys?" someone exclaimed.

"Or they could Apparate - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell  
you?" said Hermione impatiently.

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" Dumbledore said loudly.

Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened.

Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life.

"She's the head?"

"Guess so"

"I am Madame Maxime" she said in a deep throaty voice.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly  
behind her.

They were about twelve to thirteen people standing, holding scarves and mitts. Their robes appeared to be silk.

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!" People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes.

"Ah, everybody's here" Dumbledore said "Please come in"

The size of the people seemed to be like Crabbe and Goyle. Naruto shivered as he stared at them.

But most boys were looking at the ladies from Beauxbatons with a appreciative sigh. And the ladies were clamoring to get a look at Victor Krum.

"Do you think I can get his autograph?" a girl asked

But her friend was saved from anwering bacause Dumbledore gestured to the doors.

"Come in" he said in a voice as people rushed inside to get good seats.

"Guess it's starting" Naruto heard a voice, he saw no one, but up on ahead Sakura was waving at him.


	13. The Feast

Disclaimer: No Naruto no HP

* * *

I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," said Hermione.

"Hermione - he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea he was still at school!" Ron almost shouted then going red in the face.

"So?" Hermione retorted back "Quidditch is just a sport"

As they crossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Naruto saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head.

"I'm getting his autograph if I can," said Draco. "You haven't got a quill, have you, Naruto?"

"Here" Naruto said as he handed the pen, "I don't get why…"

The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces.

"Our placee vis prettier" a blond hair girl said with a hint of disproval.

"It's not that cold"

"Over here! Come and sit over here!" Ron hissed. "Over here! Harry, budge up, make a space -"

"What?"

"Too late," said Ron bitterly.

Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. Harry could see Malfoy, Naruto Crabbe, and Goyle looking very smug about this.

Sakura was laughing with a blond haired girl "Krum sure is cute, isn't he?"

They both giggled.

The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students.

"I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

"Humph" a boy from the Ravenclaw table said.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Harry had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.

"Ramen" Naruto cried as he made a rushed dash for the noodles.

"Hey, why is Temari here?" Sakura asked as she found the blond haired shinobi sitting with the other blue clothed blonds.

She glanced around the room. Some from Durmstrang were wearing headbands from the Sound?

"What's that?" said Ron, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Miso soup" Hermione replied as she was reading a book.

"Miss what?"

"Miso Soup"

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes.

Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.

Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now.

Harry was excited.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the Goblet of Fire!"


	14. The Goblet of Fire part 1

Disclaimer: No Naruto, no Harry Potter.

A/N: I guess I will be updating once a week now because I will be looking of people to join a roleplay I created. It's called Song of the Shinobi and basically it's about characters from different anime coming into the Naruto-verse and becoming ninja. We really could user some Hogwarts students and characters from other anime. Check us out at community./kunoichi134/ . See ya there.

* * *

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket.

The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large,roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it  
would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"As you know, three teams or champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after  
task three will win the Triwizard Cup.

The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore.

"Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. Thank you, and Good Night"

The tables made a creaking sound and the food disappeared. Naruto reached for the last strand of ramen and had a tug of war with it before finally putting it into his mouth wirth great effort.

As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. However before 7, Team 7 was already walking out of the dining rooms carrying pieces of bread and in Naruto's case Ramen he had bribed from the House Elfs.

Meanwhile Harry and Ron were still walking towards the commen room.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly. "All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed," said Harry. "I would've if it had been me. . . wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?"

"There's a rumor going around that Warrington got up early and put his name in," Dean told Harry. "That big bloke from Slytherin who looks like a sloth."

"And all the Hufflepuffs are talking about Diggory," said Seamus contemptuously.

"But I wouldn't have thought he'd have wanted to risk his good looks."

"Listen!" said Hermione suddenly.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were sitting near the lake watching the giant squid. Naruto was trying to catch one of the chocolate frogs that Sakura had bewitched.

"I'VE GOT YOU!!" Naruto shouted loudly causing heads to turn towards his direction.

"Shut up dobe, people are staring"

"Be quiet Teme"

"Ooh it's them, look!" Hermione whispered.

The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them.

"Who do you think it is?" asked Sakura "I wouldn't mind having Cedric as a champion."

Looking at Naruto's face, Sakura just said "Naruto, you couldn't possibly put your name in the Goblet-hey, is that Sai?" Sakura asked as she saw a black haired boy walking past.

"Can't be. Sai-baka is on a mission"

When they entered the candlelit Great Hall it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table.

Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber"

A hushed minute fell across the room. Even Draco had a look of excitement on his pale pointed face.

"Any second, now" Dumbledore said again.

Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment  
fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that hecould read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.


End file.
